Those Four Weeks in Winter
by illusionallydelicious
Summary: Between Britta's practice therapy that will soon be more than practice, Jeff and Pierce's recent graduation from Greendale, and the approaching holidays, there's a lot on everyone's mind. Not to worry, our favorite study group will manage. Probably. Hopefully. Established Jeff/Britta, eventual Abed/Annie, all friendships. Please review.
1. Chapter 1

The best part about hanging out with Britta, Abed decided, was that she didn't live in his apartment. She was simply a third party who would listen to his stories and interject her own wisdom, occasionally half-baked as it was on occasion. A little more frequent with her new weed card, but it also meant she could drop more references.

Britta is loyal and smart. As much as certain people didn't want to believe it, she stood on her own two feet and thought deep and could do about anything. She could make anyone feel like an ass trying to disprove feminism. (*sigh* "Pornography is created to arouse cisgender, heterosexual men, more often than not, but the actors and actresses are allowed to do what they want with their own body and the directors are allowed to freedom of expression. It's the same with The Big Bang Theory." All in a monotone and distained look on her face). Not to mention, she's the only one who recognized Abed's You Made it Weird quote two weeks ago. Abed was glad the "kiss to get her out of his system" worked, because she was now one of the closest friends he ever had.

Abed hadn't even had a crush on her for more than a year. After season/year 3 started, he noticed something new about Britta. Maybe it was better lighting, maybe it was what Troy wrote about her in his diary, but something new came out of her to him. He imagined her in his Halloween stories, which was the closest thing he came to telling Jeff. Troy and Annie knew. Annie shipped it like FedEx and Troy seemed jealous. He kinda made it clear she was his, which was bullshit. Britta was no one's. That's why Jeff didn't have her at first (that and the lying).

It wasn't until the pageant ended, and the study group went caroling to his apartment that he made any sort of move. Abed wasn't sure what character to go with, so he went as himself, went with honesty. Britta was alone on the fire escape, just looking out. She looked glazed and tired, like she's seen a war and a half.

"You okay?" Abed asked. Britta jumped. She turned, and her pale skin had turned red. Whether from embarrassment or the chill, he didn't know, but she smiled. She was okay, probably.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Wanna join me?" She scooted over and Abed took her place. "It's a nice night, and the best cell service is here."

"Wi-fi, too," Abed added. "This is where Troy and I watch videos. Summer is good for that."

"Mmmm," Britta closed her eyes, still smiling. She looked like she was taking it all in. She looked like a princess, a rarely content smartass, and indie chick all at once: Abed's three most attractive tropes.

"I need a favor," Abed started. This felt uncomfortable, but it wasn't bad enough he couldn't power through it.

"Mmmm?"

"Could I kiss you?"

Britta's eyes darted open. The cold probably burned. "Why?"

This wasn't a "no", but not a "yes". Abed felt hopeful. "I found myself falling for you. Since you'll inevitably end up with Jeff-" insert Britta's eyes rolling here "-I want to, so to speak, get it while you're hot."

"Why not sex?" Britta moved her body to face his. "I mean, that was even a Buffy plotline. A Friends plotline. Probably several more."

He learned leaning his head up a bit made confessions look like you didn't care who knew. He used it a lot. "I'm not super into sex," Abed admitted. "I've had it and enjoyed it, and I've had sexual feelings, but I only like it in chunks, you know?"

Britta shrugged. "Seems legit." She leaned in, darting her soft, pink lips first. Abed's film knowledge came in, and he took out what he knew from movies. Britta seemed to enjoy it, and he certainly did. This was two years ago. After that kiss, they didn't really feel that way about each other. She was with Troy for a while and is back with Jeff now, and his perma-crush on Annie took over once again.

#

"So, the other day," Britta toyed with a spoon in her empty milkshake glass, "Jeff and I were talking about what to do for Thanksgiving. As if it were even a discussion. We're seeing his mother. We never don't see his mother at least a little every holiday we've had together."

"Even the one with William?" Abed slurped his second helping of chocolate malt.

"Even the one with William. She broke her leg, we stopped by with smuggled pumpkin pie." She snickered at the memory, then her face went flat again. "And I'm not welcome at my mother's house, and my father has his two free chair's full with his girlfriend's nephews in Pittsburg, so I won't go until Christmas."

Abed nodded. "I might see my mom's new family. She got pregnant again. Makes four since she started having kids again."

Britta's eyebrows furrowed. "How old was your mom when she got married?"

"Married at 18, had me at 19. My dad was a spite marriage, and I was the product." Abed smiled a little this time. "I like to think of us like the Funke's, and I'm Maeby."

"She made movies! Mediocre ones, but it was in a commercial studio." They both shuttered. _Networks._

Once Abed was home, he found Troy and Annie watching Pushing Daisies. Troy and Abed got her started towards the end of the year last year. They knew she'd love the cute romance, the beautiful set design, fun costumes, clever dialogue, and Lee Pace's Disney Prince features. By now, she's seen the full series at least 3 times over, some episodes more than that, and much of the Fuller catalogue (Hannibal freaked her out).

"Hey," he said.

Annie paused the DVD strategically around Chuck's skirt (she liked her season 1 wardrobe, but accredited season 2's to Chuck trying new things), and Troy turned around. "How was your practice therapy, buddy?"

"Cool," Abed replied. He walked towards the easy chair Annie took up, and she instinctively moved to the arm. He wasn't planning on sitting to rewatch, but Annie looked so appealing on the squishy arm of his chair, and she clearly just showered and probably smelt nice. He sat gently on the chair. He didn't want Annie to move, like disrupted cats did.

She smiled. "What'd you talk about?"

"Thanksgiving, mostly," Abed shrugged. "Is this the Molly Shannon episode?"

"Yeah," Annie said, "but I'll never watch just that one before bed. I feel bad for Ned and Chuck at the end."

"I get it. Shipping is tough." Abed turned his head. "TV taught me how to feel."

"Now real life has no appeal," everyone responded at the same time.


	2. Chapter 2

Jeff woke up on Thanksgiving to an angel. Bright sunlight flashed behind her, radiating her white gown, blonde hair, and porcelain skin with a heavenly glow. She rubbed little circles on his back, humming some song that will be out of tune if sung. She smiled. "Good morning. I hope it's okay I'm wearing your shirt."

It was Britta. Sometimes Jeff forgot that she slept over. Sometimes, she'd do cute things like this, especially since he left Greendale.

"More than," Jeff said back. "What were you humming?"

"Teenage Fanclub. Young Adult was on this morning, otherwise, I wouldn't be up." Britta pushed herself off the bed, signaling to Jeff it was probably time to get himself up, too. Catching a glimpse of them in the mirror, Jeff noticed his natural bedhead and how he and Britta wore the same underwear cut. They stood and walked the same way. They looked so domestic. Kinda weird.

"I know," Britta said, as if she read his mind, "a little gross, but natural progression."

"How do you figure?"

"We avoided this conclusion since we've known each other, this type of comfort with someone most of our lives, but it…happened."

"Whatever you say, Perry," Jeff smirked. "I'm taking a shower. Do you need anything?"

"Not in the bathroom. Just clothes."

Still smirking, he added, "Well, you don't need them, per se."

"For your mom, I do."

#

Meanwhile, Shirley Bennett was looking over her much younger, but not quite as attractive, friend. Annie's burnt orange cardigan said "I'm still focused, even without the medicine." Her dress was a dark purple, a contrast to her sweater, to remind everyone she's still young and (mostly) fun. The black tights and shoes were to bring attention to her relative maturity, and a palate balance.

"Are you sure this looks okay?" Annie asked for only the 16th time that day. "I mean, I haven't seen my mom in years, much less the rest of her family."

"Honey, you look lovely," Shirley responded, though she looked only slightly more dressy than she usually did. "I'd be proud to have you as a daughter. If things don't work out today, I'll adopt you."

"Aww, Shirley." Annie leaned in to hug Shirley. "Thank you so much."

Two knocks, and Abed popped in. "Everyone's decent in here, right?"

"I think your order is a little off, Abed," Shirley said.

Troy walked in. "Sorry to come by unannounced, but we want to go over the plan with you, Shirley."

"Oh, right," Annie separated from Shirley, and took a few steps back. "Go on."

"Here's what I had in mind," Abed started, "we drop Shirley off at her house around noon to greet her family for thanksgiving, then drive up to Riverside to take Annie to her mother's house. Troy wanted to show me a few places around town"

"There's a dancing robot!" Troy interrupted.

"-Then we're back to your house. By then, Shirley should've made the rounds. Escape through the hole in your basement to Troy's car, and you'll stay at my mom's. Bring any dish you can. My mom loves everything. We leave at ten to pick up Annie. Unless she wants to bow out early, in which she will take the bus home and text us with the plan change."

Shirley and Annie nodded. "This is shaping out to be a good Thanksgiving," Shirley said, excited to be a part of the plan. She wasn't always, which she accredited to her friendship with Jesus and being older than her friends. Not that she had a poor sense of self; she liked herself, just not the situations at times. It's nice to be on the fun side.

#

Home. Kissing. Hugging. Holding. Eating. Reminiscing. Jeff loved that his mom liked Britta.

"She's a sparkplug," Ms. Fitzpatrick (she switched back to her maiden name) would say. "Sparkplugs never go out unless the environment fails. Keep her safe, Jeffy." 

Jeff loved his mom. Not to a creepy degree, but to a level of respect for a single mother with a smartass son would go. She stayed strong, but Jeff developed observance at an early age. Too many tissues in the garbage that weren't his, anxiety pills, bills with more zeroes than at his elementary school lunch table. The apartment they lived in after the divorce was final was smaller than even the basement of the house with his father.

The only thing he could do was try to help, but there aren't many ways a nine-year-old can help his mother, at least none that he knew of. She always told Jeff he was special. He lived up to it. He was the cool lawyer, the handsome-because-puberty high schooler, and the snaky kid in class.

All was done now. Jeff had Britta in his life, true friends, and his mother's approval, especially after he told his dad off. She was satisfied.

So, yeah, his Thanksgiving was a success.

#

Annie came home early from her mom's, telling Abed her uncle was giving her a ride home. Rather, she wanted to walk and think of what happened.

Annie's mom put her on Adderall as a child. She was diagnosed with ADD by a quack, one of those people that gave really ill people a bad name with "hunches." She stayed on them throughout high school, setting her sights on being the coolest girl. Her mom was right there with her, pushing her daughter to higher and higher standards. She was able to take more pills as this went on, but after the meltdown, her mom wanted her daughter to keep striving to perfection.

The downfall of their relationship, Annie realized, was the definitional change of "perfect" in their minds. Annie's mom was okay with using any type of help to reach her own perfection: she wore make-up always, took anti-anxiety meds that she probably actually needed, and asked people to compliment her. Annie wanted no help; she was scared of the crutch. She went to rehab on her own, got a job at Goodwill (free sweaters!), and continued on at Greendale.

At Thanksgiving, Annie realized nearly nothing changed with her mother. Splitting image of herself, her mom wore the same face she always had. Her family acted the same, other than a few extra inches, pounds, and wrinkles. Annie was the same trophy she always felt like in her mother's eyes. She bragged that her daughter was living without her mom's assistance, staying in school, going the money-conscious way, and on the Deans List (which all of her friends were, thanks to Pelton). It was such a trip that she thought her mom would act so much different, but here she was. Back home, standing in front of her mirror, wondering if something went wrong.

Something had. Annie hated everything on her body. She hated the scratchy sweater. She hated the tacky dress. She hated the too-tight bra. She hated the way her tights rubbed against her. She changed out of everything, replacing it with pink pajama pants and Troy's Apple Jacks t-shirt. Now alone, she realized she could never change her mother, but they were on good terms, and that's what mattered.


End file.
